Such a Pretty Picture
by Dustbunny3
Summary: [One-shot][InoSaku] Post series, not canon compliant. A night out together is spoiled and Sakura's self-esteem takes a hit. Ino may not be the medic Sakura is, but she knows something about making her girlfriend feel better.
A/N: Man, I suck at crossposting... Anyway! I wrote this for Femslash February. I'd been meaning to write for ages, based on a headcanon by platinumcosmos over on Tumblr. I had so much trouble ending this, you have no idea, haha. Enjoy!

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Stepping out of the ladies' room and back into the bar proper, Sakura doesn't immediately see Ino. She suspects that her wayward date is hidden in the center of the throng of men crowded up around the bar where she left her. It's just a hunch, but Sakura has faith in it.

Sighing, muttering under her breath about not being able to leave Ino alone for five minutes, Sakura strides forward and begins to shove her way through the crowd. She's easily smaller than even the smallest of the gathered men, but she knows how to use her mass and theirs to her advantage and she can rely on a power boost if they hold their ground too stubbornly. It's hardly an appropriate use of her skills, but she can use the alcohol in her system as an excuse if one is needed.

She doubts one will be. The men hardly glance at her before facing back towards the center of the crowd, where Sakura can now see that Ino is, indeed, holding court, perched like a queen on her bar stool. A colorful drink that she didn't have when Sakura left is in front of her, half-gone. Admirers are crowded close from the left, right and front of her, but Sakura is pleased to see that there's a bubble of personal space around her as though an invisible wall separates her from them. Then one man sways in close to whisper in Ino's ear, breaking the illusion and sending annoyance crawling down Sakura's spine.

Ino, for her part, reacts the invasion with a laugh that almost sounds genuine and even tolerates the man for a full second before planting one perfectly manicured hand on his chest and pressing him firmly upright in his seat. By the time he's pulled his face into a pout, he's lost her touch and her attention. Her eyes meet Sakura's and she smiles, so warm that it almost soothes away the cold gathered in Sakura's gut.

Some signal passes between Ino and her new fans as she shifts to welcome Sakura back, dispersing the crowd. Sakura loses sight of Ino for just a moment as disappointed men stumble back about their business. When she catches sight of her again, she sees that the same man who'd dared break into Ino's personal bubble missed the cue and is trying to situate himself back at her side.

When Ino laughs this time, it's edged with razor, making the few men still hanging around flinch and back off even further. The fingers of the hand she's pressed back to the man's chest are curled, nails digging ever so slightly into his shirt, a warning. The stranger still doesn't get the message and Sakura feels a growl rumbling deep in her chest as she approaches.

"– on a date," Ino is saying when Sakura makes it to her side. Any hint of a smile is already gone, her irritation rising high in her cheeks.

"And he left you out here alone?" the man asks, shaking his head with an exaggerated air of sympathy. "A pretty little thing like you among these wolves? Not much of a man."

Sakura makes a derisive noise, not quite a laugh, by way of announcing her presence. Ino turns to her with a smile that is equal parts welcome and relief, leaning in for a kiss. Sakura settles one arm around Ino's shoulders, shooting the man a challenging look.

"I can't argue with you," Ino says, one hand on Sakura's hip.

The man looks between them, blinking. He says, "That's a girl."

"This is a woman, buddy," Ino says. "My date. And since she's back, I really don't need you here anymore, so…"

Sakura wants to laugh, but the wave of incredulity rolling off the man as he looks from Ino to her, eyeing them both up and down, washes any humor away.

"You're joking," he says.

"Am I?" Ino asks, turning her back on him and rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, you are, come on," the man says, standing and coming to stand beside her. He sneers down at Sakura from a full head of height difference, reaching to place an uninvited hand on Ino's shoulder. "Her, okay, I buy it, but you– you're way too pretty to be a–"

Whatever he was going to say next is stoppered by Sakura's fist. Or maybe his breath is stolen by Ino's elbow jammed into his gut, but it's definitely the punch that whips his head back, makes him stumble and fall over his bar stool. There's shouting, but Sakura hardly hears it over the blood pounding in her ears. The man stares up at her, disoriented and sputtering blood. She steps toward him and he recoils, smacking his head off the bar panel behind him; when she reaches out a hand glowing green with chakra he actually whimpers.

She lets him suffer through a half second of her hand over his face, chakra licking his cheeks, before she firms her touch and directs it through him, repairing him as easily as she damaged him. He coughs and hiccups, legs kicking like he's still trying to scrabble away even as she finishes her work and stands, turning and striding out without a backward glance.

Storming down the street, Sakura tries to even out her breathing. She's glad that there aren't many people out and about, and the few she does see quickly turn back to their own business when they catch sight of the look on her face. Even civilians know to stay clear of an angry ninja.

"Sakura!" she hears behind her. "Come on, hold up!"

Instead of heeding, she walks faster, back straight and eyes pointed directly ahead of her. She'd take to the rooftops but isn't sure she's steady enough. She didn't have much to drink and burning off what she did have would be almost nothing for someone of her skill, but fury and humiliation leave just as disoriented as alcohol.

"Hey," Ino says, much closer now. Sakura senses her reaching for her arm and pulls away, lengthening her steps. "Seriously, what gives? Are you really gonna let some creep ruin our night out?"

"Some creep?" Sakura sputters, spinning on Ino so fast that Ino backpedals, eyes wide. "Let some _some creep_ ruin our night? You ruined it yourself when you decided you wanted _some creep's_ company the second my back was turned!"

"What are you, drunk?" Ino demands, pulling herself up to her full height. "I shoved him off as soon as he got too close to me!"

"Just how close is too close for you?" Sakura demands in turn, holding her ground. To her chagrin, the world in front her eyes swims. "All those guys were too close to you for _my_ comfort!"

"Are you jealous?" asks Ino, a short laugh bubbling out of her. "Of _those_ guys?"

Sakura chokes on what she wants to say and spits out a curse, turning away and staring at the ground, hiding her face behind her hair. Ino sighs and steps closer; Sakura is aware of Ino's hands hovering over her shoulders.

"I wasn't laughing at you, honest," Ino says, and Sakura believes her immediately. "You just surprised me, that's all."

"I don't know how it surprises you I'd be jealous when you surround yourself with men as soon as I'm out of the picture."

"I thrive on attention, you know that," Ino says, teasing but still so gentle. She dares lay her hands at last on Sakura's shoulders and Sakura lets her. "You weren't there to give it to me. Hey," she says, leaning in to nuzzle Sakura's hair, speak into her ear, "you know why I had to surround myself with so many? Because none of them alone were equal to you." Encouraged when Sakura huffs a laugh, she slides her hands around Sakura's shoulders and pulls her unresistant into a hug. "Even together, they didn't come close to you."

"None of them would," Sakura says, bitter, leaning away from Ino's mouth at her ear. "None of them spared me more than a glance with you there, and then that guy…"

"Forget that guy," Ino says, resting her head on Sakura's shoulder and craning her neck to try to catch her eye. "What's all this anyway? I thought you were upset because you thought my attention was wandering, but this is about wanting attention from them? Should _I_ be jealous?"

Sakura laughs again, a hollow sound, and wriggles free of Ino's embrace. Ino lets her go but follows close when Sakura starts walking. She says nothing, waiting for Sakura to explain.

At last, Sakura says, "It's not that I want anyone else's attention. It's that I want people to think I'm worth yours."

"You are worth my attention or I wouldn't give it to you," Ino says like it's that simple. It is, probably, even though it doesn't feel like it. "Why do you care more about what they think than what I do?" When she doesn't get an answer, she turns Sakura with a hand on her shoulder and tilts Sakura's chin up, catching her eye. " _You_ know you're worth my attention, don't you?"

Sakura clenches her jaw and averts her eyes. "There are so many people who would jump at the chance to be with you."

"Of course there are," Ino huffs. "Look at me."

"I _am_ looking at you," Sakura says, pulling her chin free of Ino's hand but unable to make herself pull away altogether. " _Everyone_ looks at you and then looks at me and…"

"And what?" Ino asks when Sakura doesn't go on, both hands on Sakura's shoulders.

Making an impatient noise, Sakura shakes her head, reaches up and swipes at the tear that gets shaken loose. She hates this so much. She's a talented, successful kunoichi, a respected and invaluable member of the medical community, so why does she still feel like a lonely little girl crying behind her hair? Why does it matter so much that–

"I'm not pretty enough," she says through a throat tight with embarrassment, "for someone as pretty as you."

"Are you kidding me?" Ino asks, breathing against Sakura's face as she leans their foreheads together and wraps her arms lightly around Sakura's waist. "When's the last time you looked in a mirror, huh? Just because you're not as pretty as me doesn't mean you're not pretty enough." When Sakura snorts and turns away again, Ino is quick to put a hand to her cheek and turn her back, to look her dead in the eye. "Listen," she says, "I know from pretty, don't I? I make half my living off of it. Here, look-"

The hands clasped behind Sakura's back reach off somewhere and Ino presses close to look over her shoulder. Sakura cranes her neck, trying to see what's going on, but is trapped in Ino's arms and doesn't especially want to break free. It's mere minutes anyway before Ino makes a triumphant sound and pulls back, holding something up with a flourish.

It's a cluster of little white blossoms from someone's flower box that Ino has arranged into a mini-bouquet. Sakura doesn't immediately see how Ino has secured it and doesn't get a chance to examine it as Ino tucks it behind Sakura's ear and then grins at her handiwork.

"Thank you," Sakura says, smiling in spite of herself and leaning into Ino's hand before it can stray too far from her cheek. "It's beautiful."

"Only because you're wearing it," Ino tells her, cradling her face like something precious. It's a cheesy line, but Sakura can see that she's sincere.

Ino leans in and brushes a kiss over Sakura's lips, then another, then pulls Sakura closer with the hand on her face and kisses her proper and deep and sweet. Sakura hums and slides her tongue past Ino's lips, unhindered, and licks away the taste of a drink bought by someone else from her mouth. Ino makes an appreciative noise and responds in kind, running her free hand through Sakura's hair. Sakura settles her own hands on Ino's hips, fingers flexing. They don't rush, don't push, just stand there in the street and bask in each other. Breaking the kiss is a slow process taken in small steps, lips and tongues and teeth continuing to tease as they pull back. They stop just far enough away to look into each other's eyes, breathing each other's breath.

"You can't just kiss me better, you know," Sakura mumbles into the air between them. She feels better now by far than she has since leaving Ino to wait for her at the bar, but doesn't want Ino thinking the matter is resolved just like that. She wishes it was that easy.

"I know," Ino admits on a sigh. There's something sad in her gaze as she says it, as she reads the insecurity still plain on Sakura's face. Then she blinks and it's all but impossible to see past the twinkle in her eyes. She nuzzles across Sakura's cheek to her ear and says, "But I'm still the better kisser."

The declaration startles a laugh out of Sakura even as she shoves Ino, who laughs in turn and hooks an arm around Sakura's neck in a headlock. They spend a minute laughing and wrestling in the street like children before their holds soften to an embrace, which gradually becomes holding hands. They set off down the street towards home, quiet laughter and occasional banter passing between them. There aren't many people out and about at this time, but no one who sees them would deny that they're beautiful together.


End file.
